


A Lion, a Moose, and a Stag

by multilefaiye



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Animal Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:55:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29138157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multilefaiye/pseuds/multilefaiye
Summary: Nasgatei, a half-elf with a tragic past, travels to America in search of the one who ruined their life all those years ago. They get more than they bargained for when they are taken in by the Van der Linde gang, a vicious group of outlaws on the run. Things only get worse when they attract the attention of a notorious bounty hunter, the White Lion. Will they find peace, or will their desire for vengeance consume them?
Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Original Character(s), Sadie Adler/Abigail Roberts Marston/John Marston





	A Lion, a Moose, and a Stag

**Author's Note:**

> Back at it again with the Red Dead Redemption WIPs!!! I add a WIP every day and then wonder why they don't finish themselves-
> 
> Okay jokes aside here's my wild-ass fantasy AU that was born out of a need to ship my OC Nasgatei with Arthur Morgan. I had to make a universe where they could meet and fall in love and this is it, babey!! Also, it's a soulmates AU, because I can. Who's gonna stop me. I'll explain more about how this 'verse works as we go on, but for now just. Know I've put way too much thought and energy into how this works.
> 
> As a fair warning, this story is going to feature a lot of OCs, many of whom are very important to the plot. We have fun here. If that's not your cup of tea that's perfectly fine! All I ask is that you please be polite.
> 
> (Also, if I missed any tags, please let me know and I'll update them right away! I will be adding more tags as needed, but I know I'm not perfect and may have missed some things.)
> 
> (Also also, I'm choosing to moderate comments for this fic because I've seen some folks be pretty rude in this fandom, and while I don't want to assume anyone would do that, I'm not going to take chances either.)

It was winter in 1699 when Nasgatei died for the first time.

The memory should've been clear to them, stark as the blood had been against their earthen skin. Instead, it was a blurry haze, as though it had all been a dream.

But Nasgatei knew, no matter how fades and greyed the memory was, they would never be able to forget.

Forget the smell of death, the feeling of their own hot, slick blood on their skin, the sight of those silver eyes they had once loved so dearly staring at them with fear and hatred.

Well. That was something that would stay with Nasgatei forever.

**1898.**

The journey to America was a long, difficult one.

Nasgatei had gotten lucky and managed to smuggle themself aboard one of the vessels leaving for this so-called “New World.” For months, they hid below deck, stealing rations when they could. Miracle of all miracles, no one found them.

It was early spring when the  _ HMS Watcher _ finally reached the docks of Saint Denis. When Nasgatei, clad in a loose shirt and trousers with a small pouch at their waist, climbed out of the ship’s hold, it took their tired eyes a moment to adjust to the bright sunlight. None of the crew noticed Nasgatei, which was just fine with them.

The less they were acknowledged, the better.

Hiding their scarred face and throat under a scarf they'd managed to take from one of the crew, they walked through the streets of the bustling city. Like a ghost, they passed through unnoticed. Sure, some strangers would look their way, but no one looked too closely. That was something Nasgatei had always liked about cities--the impersonal nature of them.

Finally, they reached their destination, a ways away from the docks but still overlooking the polluted sea: the stables. There were a few people milling about, but none paid any mind to Nasgatei as they walked through the massive grey doors.

The owner of the stables was an orcish woman, much taller than Nasgatei and with deep green skin. She wore a filthy shirt and a pair of ragged overalls, her long black hair pulled into a ponytail. There was a long scar across her face, curling around her strong jaw and tearing through her lips. As Nasgatei approached, the woman looked them up and down with a distinctly unimpressed expression.

“You’re a bit young to be buying a horse,” she remarked. Her yellow eyes flicked down to glance at their bare feet, dirty and scarred. She glanced back up at their face, something almost akin to concern underlying the furrow of her brow. “You here for a relative, kid?”

“I’m old enough,” Nasgatei said, their accented drawl deep and scratchy.  _ If only she knew how old they really were. _ Their expression, so carefully neutral, did nothing to betray their thoughts as they reached into the pouch tied to their waist. They pulled out a wad of money they’d managed to scrounge up and held it out.

“I need a horse,” they told the woman. “What can this get me?”

The woman stared at them for a long moment before she took their money. Her eyes never left theirs as she counted the bills. When she was done, she seemed satisfied and she slipped the money into the bag slung over her shoulder. She then leveled a strangely curious look at Nasgatei.

“That can get you a horse,” she said carefully. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked Nasgatei up and down. “I know it’s not my business, but are you really planning to travel around like that?”

Nasgatei was taken aback by the question, though they didn’t let that show on their face.

She continued, “Look, kid, I don’t know where you’re going and I don’t really care, but you need proper clothes if you want to go riding.”

“You’re right,” Nasgatei said, their voice sharp as a blade. “It  _ is _ none of your business.” The woman blinked at them, then rolled her eyes.

“Your funeral,” she hummed. She gestured for Nasgatei to follow her and led them into the stables. There were a few horses there of various shapes, sizes, and colors, though Nasgatei didn’t know enough to differentiate them. Finally, she came to a stop in front of one horse in particular.

She wasn’t particularly large, but she wasn’t small either, standing a little taller than Nasgatei themself. Her pelt was a deep, smoky grey, and her mane was nearly black. As Nasgatei approached, the animal’s brown eyes fell on them and she let out a loud snort. Unperturbed, Nasgatei met her gaze with their own.

“This one’s a fighter,” the orc woman said, turning to look at Nasgatei over her shoulder. “She’ll make your life a living hell, and she ain’t much of a horse to begin with, but she’s the cheapest one we have.”

“As long as she can keep up,” Nasgatei hummed. The orc woman shot them a strange look and they nodded, finally lifting their head to look her in the eye. “I’ll take her.”

The orc woman, whose name Nasgatei learned was Shel Abram, insisted on giving them a saddle and blanket to go with their new horse. When they tried to refuse, insist that they didn’t want handouts, Shel leveled them with a stern look.

“I don’t give a fuck what you want,” she said. " _ I _ don’t want my horse dying out there because you didn’t have enough money for the proper equipment. It’s on the house--just take it.” They decided not to argue.

Finally, Shel had them sign some papers declaring the horse as theirs. When prompted to sing their name, they hesitated for a moment. Shel, of course, caught the movement.

“What,” she said flatly, “don’t you know how to write?”

“I do,” they snapped, their face hot with embarrassment. With that, they signed their name in neat, tiny scrawl. When they were done, they slid the paper back to Shel, who glanced down curiously.

“Nasgatei,” she read aloud, her brow furrowing. Nasgatei’s pointed ears twitched irritably as she mispronounced their name. She snorted and glanced up at them. “Yeah, definitely not from around here. You’re gonna wanna pick another name to go by, kid.”

“That’s my name,” Nasgatei said, narrowing their eyes at her. “Why would I change it? And how could you tell-”

“First of all,” Shel said, holding up a finger to stop them, “that’s a bitch to pronounce. Trust me, you’re gonna want a name that people can  _ say _ . Secondly, that name stands out too much. You don’t seem like you want to draw attention to yourself.”

“I’m not changing my name to appeal to strangers,” they growled. Shel laughed, then, a full-bodied laugh that shook her large frame. When she was done, Nasgatei’s face was still burning and their teeth were bared in a sneer.

“I’ll make it easy for you,” Shel said. “I’ll give you a name you can go by--think of it as a nickname, something to help you blend in a bit better. You can use your real name all you please, but really your name is something else now.”

Nasgatei hesitated. It wasn’t that they were particularly attached to their name, not with all the baggage it carried, but… they didn’t want to change it just because this stranger told them to.

“Why do you care so much?” they asked, feeling much like an uneasy animal.

“I don’t,” Shel said with a shrug. “I just remember what it was like when I first came here. Everyone has to do it--may as well accept that.” She paused, then, her face considering as she hummed thoughtfully.

“Nathan Gates,” she said finally. Nasgatei blinked at her a few times. “Your new name,” she explained, as though she were talking to a child. “Figure that suits you well enough. And, it sounds a little like your real name--everybody wins.”

Nathan Gates.

Nasgatei supposed it would have to do.

~~

For a whole year, Nasgatei traveled on that horse, which they named Selene. They avoided major cities and towns when they could, sleeping out in the countryside with Selene watching solemnly over them. As months passed, winter slowly melted away to spring, then blossomed into summer, before it slowly shriveled up and turned to autumn.

And still, Nasgatei was no closer to those silver eyes than they had been when they started. Wherever they went, he eluded them. It seemed he was every bit the clever fox they had known him to be centuries ago. But that wouldn’t stop Nasgatei--no matter what, they would find him. Whatever it took, they would reap their vengeance.

When winter finally came, it found Nasgatei in the mountains in west Ambarino. They were following a lead they’d been given by a stranger outside Valentine, the tale of an elf with red hair and silver eyes traveling alone on a white horse towards the mountain. It sounded like bullshit to Nasgatei, but they supposed they had no other leads, no other choice.

In the year since they’d arrived in America, they’d acquired better clothes, a knife to defend themself with, the materials they needed to survive. Not that it mattered--there was no need to try and survive when they weren’t truly alive, after all.

They were settling down for the night, making camp in a field several dozen meters away from the main road, when they heard a commotion nearby. A cry of pain and fear, an animalistic howl. Nasgatei lifted their head, their ears twitching and swiveling as they listened to the sound.

Someone was in trouble.

Before they could stop themself, Nasgatei grabbed the long knife they’d stolen from a shop in Rhodes a few months before and started making their way slowly towards the sound.

Nasgatei had been making a habit the past year of getting involved when others were in danger. Part of it was a desire for redemption, a need to protect the innocent from the wicked. The rest of it was pure practicality. Grateful strangers often had something to offer in return, after all, and often that something was information--the one thing Nasgatei needed.

So when Nasgatei found the stranger, a faun with dark hair and darker eyes, being attacked by a wolf, they didn’t hesitate to act.

Nasgatei lunged towards the wolf as it leaped towards the frightened faun, shoving it away with all their strength. The creature stumbled but quickly regained its footing, baring its bloody, jagged teeth as it now focused on them. Nasgatei locked eyes with the wolf, their knife at the ready, as it began to circle them.

“Come on,” Nasgatei growled back at the beast. “Come and get me!” Dimly, they heard the faun shout something to them, and they turned their head to see that he hadn’t fled yet.

His modest clothes were torn and soaked in blood, and he was clutching his wounded arm to his chest, but besides that, he was remarkably unharmed. He was staring at Nasgatei in shock and horror, and internally they cursed.  _ Why wasn’t he running? _

While they were distracted, the wolf made its move. Nasgatei whipped their head around just as the creature let out a vicious snarl and pounced towards them. Just in time, they raised their free arm in front of the face, and the wolf sank its long, jagged teeth into their flesh with ease. The pain hardly registered as the wolf knocked them to the ground and began to  _ tear. _ Blood pooled in its mouth and spilled from its lips, dripping down onto Nasgatei.

Nasgatei gritted their teeth and forced themself to focus. They wrapped their legs around the wolf’s midsection and, using all their strength, rolled over until they were pinning it to the ground. Then, letting out a snarl of their own, they stabbed their knife into the wolf’s body. Once, twice, three times, until its jaws went slack.

For a long moment, they sat there, panting as the adrenaline left their body. Then, Nasgatei wrenched their arm free of the wolf’s mouth and they got to their feet. They looked down at their mangled arm, and they grimaced in disgust.

Already, the wounds were sealing themselves closed. Before their tired eyes, the skin stitched itself back together, leaving no traces behind, as though the attack had never happened. The blood remained fresh, steaming hot against their cold skin, and the sleeve of their heavy coat remained torn and useless, but the causes of both were gone.

“Oh, my God!” a voice said nearby. It was then that Nasgatei remembered that they were not alone, and they looked up to see the faun approaching them with a frantic expression on his face. “Are you alright? That looked horrible!”

Before they could stop him, he took their formerly wounded arm in his hands and was examining it.

“I’m fine,” they bit out, pulling their arm away from him before he could look too closely. His brow furrowed and his furry ears twitched.

“No way in hell you are,” he insisted. “I-I’ve never seen anyone take a bite like that and survive!” The situation then seemed to finally dawn on him. His eyes widened comically. “O-Oh, I… I almost died, didn’t I?” He swallowed.

“It’s fine,” Nasgatei said. “You didn’t die.” They reached down and yanked their knife out of the wolf’s ribs, wiping the blood off on their pants before slipping it back into its holster.

“It really isn’t,” he said, running shaky hands through his curly hair. Then he looked at Nasgatei with amazement clear in his deep brown eyes. “You… you saved my life.”

When Nasgatei was quiet, he continued, “Thank you! I-I would’ve been a goner without you.” He laughed, a breathless sort of sound. “My name is Jake Adler. What’s yours?”

“It’s Nasgatei.” Nasgatei almost said the alias that Shel had given them all those months ago, but something about the wide, earnest eyes of the man before them made them feel like they had to be honest with him.

If Jake thought the name was strange, that didn’t show on his face as he beamed down at them. He wasn’t that much taller than Nasgatei, but they still had to crane their neck to look up at him. The faun took one of Nasgatei’s hands in both of his own and looked down at them with a wide smile on his face.

“Nasgatei,” he said, “thank you so much. How can I possibly repay you?”

Nasgatei hesitated for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. Normally, they would request information, ask after the whereabouts of the silver-eyed mo they sought, but the words caught in their throat. The same something in Jake's eyes that made them be honest about their name made them feel like it'd be… wrong to involve him in their hunt. He didn't deserve that.

When Nasgatei didn’t reply, Jake’s smile faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly enough. He patted their hand lightly and smiled.

“Well,” he said, “why don’t you come with me, Nasgatei? Let my wife and I give you somewhere warm to stay for the night and something to eat.” A chuckle. "It's the least I can do!"

Nasgatei was hesitant once more. They knew they should say no, go back to their camp, and leave Jake to his own devices. But a part of them, a deep and forgotten part they thought had died long ago, wanted to say yes. Despite everything, they found themself longing for the safety Jake offered, a warm meal and a roof over their head.

They knew they couldn’t take it, however. No matter what they wanted.

Nasgatei opened their mouth to say no, but what came out of their mouth instead was a quiet, “Alright.”

Jake beamed at them and patted their hand again. “I hope you like stew!” he laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like what you saw, feel free to hit me up over on tumblr: https://multi-lefaiye.tumblr.com/
> 
> I hope you're all doing well <3


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